Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling flight control surfaces on an aircraft. Commands are sent onto a data bus system from flight control modules. The flight control modules and actuator control modules determine whether an error is present in the commands sent onto the data bus system. Point-to-point connections between the flight control modules and the actuator control modules are managed based on whether the error is present in the commands sent onto the data bus system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling flight control surfaces on an aircraft. Commands are sent onto a data bus system from flight control modules. The flight control modules and actuator control modules determine whether an error is present in the commands sent onto the data bus system. Point-to-point connections between the flight control modules and the actuator control modules are managed based on whether the error is present in the commands sent onto the data bus system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for asynchronous multi-channel data communications are provided. In one embodiment, a system in accordance with the invention includes a plurality of redundant pairs of computer systems, a plurality of actuators, and a plurality of line replaceable units. Each of the line replaceable units is coupled to one of the actuators, and each of the line replaceable units is configured to receive synchronous digital control data from each pair of computer systems of the plurality of redundant pairs of computer systems. The plurality of redundant pairs of computer systems includes at least three redundant pairs of computer systems, and the plurality of line replaceable units includes three or more line replaceable units.

Abstract: Systems and methods for asynchronous multi-channel data communications are provided. An embodiment of the invention includes a minimum of three channels for digital computation in Primary Flight Computers and four channels for digital/analog conversion in Actuation Control Electronics. Each channel (Primary Flight Computer or Actuation Control Electronics) contains two computation lanes with dissimilar processors and compilers. Hence with dual-dissimilar processors the computer architecture is fail-passive to generic errors. The two Actuation Control Electronics computation lanes select the digital control data of one of the two computation lanes of one of the three digital computation channels for conversion and transmission to associated actuators.

Abstract: A multi-channel system (31) which monitors and identifies faults experienced by elements of the system is provided in accordance with the present invention. The multi-channel system comprises a plurality of line replaceable units (30 or 38) and independent control channels (40, 42 and 44) coupled to a global bus (34). The control channels and the line replaceable units are coupled to the global bus such that each computer channel and each line replaceable unit is a, transmitter that transmits messages via the global bus. Each channel contains a plurality of lanes (46, 48 and 50) coupled by a private bus (56), wherein each lane comprises a power supply (52), a processor (54) and an interface (60) to the global bus. However, only one lane of each channel, i.e. the command lane, may transmit messages via the global bus.